Presidency partners Borno Govt, North East Devt Commission on teachers’ training

…moves to empower women with skills acquisition

The Borno State Government in collaboration with the Presidency – the Office of the Vice President of Nigeria and the North East Development Commission (NEDC) is billed to launch a two-day teacher training programme under the Accelerated Senior Secondary School Education Programme (ASSEP).

BusinessDay reports that the initiative is aimed at improving the quality of education in six North-eastern States with a particular focus on science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and agriculture.

At the launch of an event held at Borno State Ministry of Education Hub, Lawan Abba Wakilbe, Commissioner for Education, officially inaugurated the programme, announcing the donation of 100 digital tools to support the training.

Mariam Masha, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Regional Development Programmes, explained the vision behind ASSEP, saying: “We believe that by empowering teachers, inspiring students, and improving the nation’s education system, we can create a brighter future for Nigeria.”

She also mentioned the addition of skills acquisition programme for women. ASSEP, an initiative of the Federal Government under the leadership of Vice President Kashim Shettima, seeks to train one million teachers nationwide.

Read also: Lagos to equip over 1m students with digital skills by 2030

The programme, according to an official statement, emphasises teacher training, classroom modernisation, student competition, and virtual reality content development to enhance educational outcomes.

Wakilbe expressed his support for the initiative, noting that it aligns with the State Government’s educational transformation agenda, which was originally championed by Vice President Shettima during his time as governor.

He commended the Vice President’s continued commitment to advancing education.

Wakilbe, who commended the programme, however raised some concerns about the challenges faced by flood-affected learners who had lost their books and uniforms.

He emphasised the urgent need for support and highlighted the importance of providing hygiene kits for girls to improve school retention rates.

The event featured an engagement session with teachers and stakeholders as the teachers who completed online training to become “Black Belt” educators in Borno received digital tools to enhance their classroom teaching.